Manteca jobless rate hits record 16.1 percent

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Never have so many people been out of work in Manteca since the Great Depression.

A record 16.1 percent of all employable adults in Manteca were without work in January. It was the fourth straight record month of post World War II unemployment.

Manteca is expected to add 140 jobs this month with the opening of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and the Hampton Inn Suites at the Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley. That, however, is expected to be overshadowed by the loss of several hundred jobs held by Manteca residents at the NUMMI plant closing in Fremont on April 1 plus the ripple effect on part suppliers – of which several manufactures are located in the Manteca area – plus the trucking industry.

Manteca mirrored San Joaquin County as well as neighboring communities in seeing an increase in unemployment. The jump in Manteca was not as harsh as elsewhere such as Ripon and Lathrop that suffered jumps of 2 to 3 points in their jobless rates.

Among San Joaquin County cities, Manteca has the third highest unemployment rate behind Stockton at 21.9% and Escalon at 16.9%.

Employment statewide shot up from 12.2 percent in December to 13.2 percent in January. That compares to a national unemployment rate of 10.6 percent. San Joaquin County’s unemployment rate for January reached 18.4 percent compared to 17.1 percent in December

In terms of actual jobs within San Joaquin County regardless of where those who hold them reside, the county registered a net loss of 3,800 jobs. The biggest hits were in trades, transportation and utilities with 1,500 jobs lost. Every major category of employment either lost ground or was unchanged in January. The only bright spot was in a sub category – federal government jobs. That sub category saw 100 new jobs – the only employment increase as a whole in San Joaquin County. Those jobs were with the Department of Defense.

The jobless rate in the Northern San Joaquin Valley is impacted as much by the Bay Area economy as it is by the local economy. The data reflects the number of available adults who are gainfully employed or not within a certain jurisdiction within the county. Overall, the job count reflects positions available in the county although they could be held by non-county residents just like many Bay Area jobs are held by those who live in the Northern San Joaquin Valley.